How to Clear Your Computer's CMOS to Reset BIOS Settings

Quick Links Summary To clear your CMOS, first boot into the BIOS or UEFI. go for the “Reset to Default,” “Load Setup Defaults,” or something similar. If you’ve got the option to’t get into the BIOS, press the CMOS clear button instead. Sam72/Shutterstock.com your rig stores low-level parameters like the system time and hardware parameters in its CMOS. These tweaks are configured in the BIOS or UEFI setup menu. Clearing the CMOS resets your BIOS or UEFI options back to their factory default state....

December 24, 2012 · 2 min · 360 words · Tracy Smith

Beginner Geek: How to Change the Duration of Notifications in Windows 8

Now head into the Ease of Access section. Then punch the Ease of Access Center link. Now punch the Make it easier to focus on tasks link. Here you will be able to adjust how long Windows keeps notifications open for. Thats all there is to it.

December 12, 2012 · 1 min · 47 words · Michelle Garcia

Add a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to the Microsoft Robocopy Command Line Tool

NOTE: For Windows XP, you’re free to obtain Robocopy by downloading theresource kit. Robocopy allows you to setup simple or advanced backup strategies. you might also download the command line reference and usage notes for Robocopy as aPDF file. Both tools, RoboMirror and RichCopy, are discussed below and links to download each tool are provided. you might also easily restore a backup. snag the source and target folders and specify which extended NTFS attributes to copy, if any....

December 10, 2012 · 2 min · 280 words · Connor Shaw

What You Said: What's on Your Geeky Christmas List

The most requested item was this year’s hot introduction to the project board market: theRaspberry Pi.

December 7, 2012 · 1 min · 16 words · Natalie Brown

How to Disable the Animations on the Windows 8 Start Screen

Related Who doesn’t love animations? They make everything look so cool. Fortunately, there’s a very simple way to disable all those animations. Keep reading to find out how it’s done. But we’re going the other way, disabling the animations completely. Right click it, and click Properties. Click “Advanced System parameters”. Click “controls” under the performance section. Uncheck the first option, i.e. “Animate controls and elements inside windows”, and press OK. Now press the windows key and switch to the start screen....

December 6, 2012 · 1 min · 142 words · Daniel Chavez

Beginner Geek: How to Link Contacts to Their Social Network Profiles in the Windows 8 People App

To get started tap on one of the contacts you want to merge. Now right click anywhere on the screen to bring up the App Bar at the bottom of the screen. Then press the Link button. So just go ahead and select one of the options on the right hand side. The result is one contact linked to all the social media outlets. It also cleans up your contact list....

December 4, 2012 · 1 min · 77 words · Barbara Kramer

Use a Free Tool to Edit, Delete, or Restore the Default Hosts File in Windows

your machine has its own host address, known as its “localhost” address. The IP address for localhost is 127.0.0.1. Blocking ads and other undesirable webpage elements, can also speed up the loading of websites. You don’t have to wait for all those items to load. The default hosts file that comes with Windows does not contain any host name/IP address mappings. you might add mappings manually, such as the IP address 74....

November 28, 2012 · 2 min · 317 words · Wendy Hayes

How To Remove Authorized PCs from Your Windows Store Account

This means that the PC you implement the app on gets added to your Trusted PC list. Heres how to clean up that list. Then head into your account tweaks. Simply poke the Remove button and that gadget will no longer be able to install apps from your account. Thats all there is to it.

November 24, 2012 · 1 min · 55 words · Gary Jordan

Use a Windows 8-Like Task Manager in Windows 7, Vista, and XP

The Windows 8 Metro Task Manager does not need to be installed. A window displays a list of tasks currently running with the status of each task listed. To end a task, grab the task in the list and click End Task. To do so, simply click Restart Explorer. Just like the Windows 8 Task Manager, there is a More Details link. Unfortunately, you do not have access to the same tabs available in the real Windows 8 Task Manager....

November 21, 2012 · 1 min · 109 words · Lindsay Beck

Book Giveaway: We Have 10 Free Copies of the 4-Hour Chef (The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life)

Quick Links The 4-Hour Chef isnt just a cookbook. Here’s the description of the book,from the Amazon page. The 4-Hour Chef is a five-stop journey through the art and science of learning: 1. Before you learn to cook, you must learn to learn. META charts the path to doubling your learning potential. DOM is where you learn the building blocks of cooking. These are the ABCs (techniques) that can take you from Dr, Seuss to Shakespeare....

November 20, 2012 · 1 min · 146 words · Laurie Cannon

What You Said: Giving an Old Laptop a New Life

Many of you worked to keep old laptops from getting scrapped by dusting them off and donating them. Mark writes: My acquaintances & friends give me their old computers when they buy a new one. So I disassemble, clean, install an opsys,and get internet working. I also upgrade memory, wireless, etc. from my parts bin. Then I give it to a poor person who needs a computer. Usually a single working mom with kids....

November 16, 2012 · 1 min · 164 words · Travis Reyes

How to Delete or Disable Search Charm History in Windows 8

Here’s how to do it. Then choose the controls Charm. Now hit the Change PC parameters link to fire up the Modern UI Control Panel. When the Control Panel opens switch over to the Search section. To do so, go ahead and turn off the option to keep your searches. Now you’re free to still use the Search feature but Windows wont remember what you searched for.

November 14, 2012 · 1 min · 67 words · Jessica Webb

How to Make the Weather Tile Display Temperature in Celsius

You should then see it update the the current temperature. Thats all there is to it.

November 5, 2012 · 1 min · 16 words · Brian Brown